Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue

A Legacy of Faith and Hope

September 21, 2019 by Ogee

From a certain angle, you would never know there is something different about these two girls. To me, they could not be more special. As puppies, they set me on the path to puppy fostering. Surrendered by a breeder, they both had a congenital abnormality called Megaesophagus. The esophagus – which connects the throat to the stomach – is enlarged and lacks the elasticity or motility required to move food and liquid down to the stomach. Unless gravity is employed, […]

Categories: Dog Fostering, Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Puppies, Rescue • Tags: CNM Labrador Retriever, dog rescue, Dogs Megaesophagus, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Puppy rescue

Camp Yogi: Temporary Closure

September 15, 2019 by Ogee

This is Yogi taking a forced break from puppy fostering. It has been nonstop since the beginning of July. GiGi’s litter: Garrett, Gabe, Griffin and Gracie. Beau Dude and Conway. Before them, Rose, Ty, and Nutmeg, Anna, Sara, Lily, and Noah. Fourteen puppies in eight months. No wonder Yogi is exhausted! He’s such a great sport and expert puppy raiser, entertaining them, teaching them boundaries, watching over them, and generally allowing them to torture him. It’s that later part that […]

Categories: Dog Fostering, Dog Rescue, Dogs, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Puppies, Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Puppy Fostering, Yogi

Justice for Justice

August 11, 2019 by Ogee

She spent her life in an outdoor yard. So terrified of indoor enclosures was she that she broke through a window to avoid being confined. Emaciated. Sick. She had to fight to protect what little food scraps she was given. A Great Pyrenees mix weighing in at only 58 pounds. Her mouth partly paralyzed; who knows how many litters of puppies she had produced and what damage that had inflicted. Used up, she was dumped. Two others were “coincidentally” found […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Humanity, Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Humanity, Justice

What Rescue Is

August 4, 2019 by Ogee

“Hi. We are interested in rescuing a Golden Retriever. Any suggestions?” I have to bite my tongue when I get these messages. What this well-intentioned person means is that they want to adopt a rescued dog. Hurrah for them! The world needs more good people willing to give an abandoned, surrendered or rescued dog a home. They are a critical part of the effort. Rescue does not work without them. So I keep my thoughts to myself – except here, […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue • Tags: dog rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue

Outtakes

July 28, 2019 by Ogee

The last puppy is home! Garrett stayed with us for an extra week until his new mom came back from her vacation. He was a joy to have. Smart. Funny. Playful. Sweet. A bit of a baby who gained some much-needed confidence with the big boys away from his littermates. He has taken to his new family like water…forgetting all about us like yesterday’s news! The thermometer topped out at 106 so the weeds were allowed to continue their march. […]

Categories: Dog Fostering, Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Puppies • Tags: Dog Adoption, Dog Fostering, dog rescue, funny dog faces, Puppy Adoption

Dog Days of Summer: 2019

July 21, 2019 by Ogee

I know I have been away too long when this takes up residence in the entry arbor. After an easy pace to the first half of the year, it has been raining dogs, lately. My co-volunteers carry the heavy lifting of feeding, cleaning, vet trips and walking while a couple of us make sure that photos are taken, their bios get to the website, and we get the word out. It truly takes an army. Jared has been with us […]

Categories: Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Puppies • Tags: Dog Days of Summer, Dog Rescue Story, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue

Taking the Hill

June 9, 2019 by Ogee

Originally, it was a mountain of tangled blackberries – home to snakes, thorns and the occasional bunny. The brambles were replaced with raised blueberry beds – that fried in the summer heat and invited Bermuda grass, morning glory weeds and few blueberries. Last fall, the bed frames were demolished to begin anew. The vision was an extension of the adjacent California-themed garden. The challenge: that bed sits near the top of the garden. When we get big winter rains, the […]

Categories: Gardening, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden • Tags: California Native Plants in Garden, Mediterranean plants, Senior Dog Rescue

The Rules of Engagement

May 26, 2019 by Ogee

Most of our foster puppies promise to remember us always and then quickly forget when they find their forever homes. How do I know? Many come back for class or reunions. I may get a passing hello, but they are much more interested in playtime with the dogs than visiting with me. An exception: Baby Sara – now named Jessie. You may recall from a past post, Jessie is the offspring of a Golden mom and a dad of many […]

Categories: Dog Fostering, Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Pets, Puppies • Tags: Dog Fostering, Dog socialization, Foster puppies, Puppy socialization

All Dogs Go To Heaven

May 24, 2019 by Ogee

If April showers bring May flowers, what do May deluges bring? It is the third week of May, and I am sitting in my house in a wool sweater and fleece jacket because I will be damned if I will turn on the heat at this point in the year! Like the rest of the country, we have been hit with really bizarre weather. I cannot complain, however, because ours is in the form of cooler temperatures and significant rainfall […]

Categories: Dog Loss, Dog Rescue, Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue, Homeward Bound Memorial Garden • Tags: All Dogs Go To Heaven, Dog Loss, Dog Remembrance, First Bloom, Memorial Service